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T-Wolves rally in third to end five-game losing streak in overtime

Taking advantage of a pair of disallowed Laurentian goal, Lakehead earns first win of 2017.

THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead Thunderwolves finally caught a few breaks – and earned their first win of 2017 in the process.

Billy Jenkins netted the winner 40 seconds into overtime, his second of the night, but it was the goals that didn’t count that proved to be the difference.

The visiting Laurentian Voyageurs (8-10-4) had a pair of goals waved off on Friday night, including a first-period tally the on-ice officials ruled was kicked behind Lakehead goaltender Devin Green five minutes into the contest.

It was a second-period mistake by Kelin Ainsworth that hurt the Voyageurs cause the most.

With Laurentian up 2-1 but facing a delayed penalty call, the Wolves pulled Green and began pressuring the Voyageurs deep in their zone when Ainsworth, who hit the post early in the third, tried to bank the puck off the boards back to the blue-line.

Instead it careened through the legs of captain Justin Sefton and sailed the length of the ice into the open net, Laurentian apparently taking a two-goal lead.

It was not to be.

The officials ruled it touched a Laurentian player – it didn’t – and called it off.

“It all happened pretty fast,” said Ainsworth. “Obviously I’m excited it went our way because I would have heard a couple of chirps from the other bench, that’s for sure.

“I got hit from behind and everything kind of happened and I heard the crowd and I kind of thought it was probably not a good thing. I had a feeling what was going on. It ended up being a big play for us because then we scored a couple minutes after that.”

That would be courtesy of Matt Alexander stepped across the red line and fired the puck at Voyageurs goaltender Charlie Millen, who bobbled the puck as it slipped past him into the net, the game tied 2-2.

It was Alexander’s first of the season.

Needless to say Laurentian coach Craig Duncanson, the No. 9 overall pick by Los Angeles in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, wasn’t happy at the turn of events.

“They said we propelled it down the ice. I don’t know if we ever touched it,” Duncanson said, also disputing the kicking motion on the first disallowed goal. “I couldn’t see. Our players say their player threw it back and it went in the net. The other one was directed in. He said it was a kicking motion. I took a look at it. If that’s a kicking motion then I spent all day kicking.

“They don’t have a lot of time, and they don’t have replay, but I think that was one of the worst officiated games I’ve seen in a long time.”

Jenkins was first on the board, netting his third of the season on the power play at 13:01 of the first. The Voyageurs answered back with 32 seconds left in the period, Nicolas Dionne scoring with the man advantage.

Laurentian took their first lead of the night early in the second, Brent Pederson firing the puck high over Green’s right shoulder for a 2-1 advantage. Bradley McDonald put the Voyageurs back in front at the 9:02 mark of the third, deflecting home Nick Esposto’s sharp-angle shot to the right of Green, who faced 34 shots.

Brennen Dubchak sent the game to overtime, deflecting a Dylan Butler pass past Millen, the son of former NHL goaltender Greg Millen, at 16:30 of the third.

The seventh-place Wolves are now 9-10-1.

Claw marks: Linden Springer was serving a one-game suspension and sat out Friday’s contest … Paid attendance was 2,125.

FIRST PERIOD
Scoring
: Lakehead, Jenkins 3 (Butler, Ainsworth) 13:01 pp. 2. Laurentian, Dionne 3 (Apperson, Fitze) 19:28 pp. Penalties: Esposto LAU (slashing) 10:05, Fitze LAU (holding) 12:45, J. Forslund LAU (holding) 16:50, Anton LAK (interference) 17:34.

SECOND PERIOD
Scoring
: 3. Laurentian, B. Pederson 9 (Richardson, Millen) 1:54. 4. Lakehead, Alexander 1 (Anton) 8:14. Penalties: Dionne LAU (tripping) 3:58. Alcock LAK (slsashing) 10:51.

THIRD PERIOD
Scoring
: 5. Laurentian, MacDonald (Esposto) 9:02. 6. Lakehead, B. Dubchak (Butler, Sefton) 16:30. Penalties: J. Forslund LAU (tripping) 3:21, Murphy LAK (holding) 6:58, Esposto LAU (roughing) 12:02, Therrien LAU (roughing), J. Forslund LAU (cross checking, roughing), Whitlock LAK (roughing), Donnelly LAK (roughing) 14:58.

OVERTIME
Scoring
: 7. Lakehead, Jenkins 4 (Sefton) 0:20. Penalties: None.

GAME DATASOG – Laurentian 15-6-13-0-34, Thunder Bay 9-4-12-1-26; Power plays (goals-chances) – Laurentian (1-3), Lakehead  (2-6); Goaltenders – Laurentian: Charlie Millen, Lakehead: Devin Green; A: 2,125.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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